Current Programs
PLACE Laborers Trainees
PLACE - Preparing Los Angeles for County Employment
WERC has launched a career preparation partnership with the County of LA. Preparing Los Angeles for County Employment (PLACE) readies county residents for good entry level jobs. PLACE provides opportunities for individuals who want to serve the public. WERC creates a dynamic learning environment for participants that includes workplace prep workshops, skills and technical education, classroom and on-the-job training, and support in applying for County employment. We assign each participant a WERC Case Manager to provide robust supportive services identifying challenges and solutions, and support participants’ success. Case Managers will continue to work with participants for at least 6 months into their new position.
PLACE is currently assisting LA County hire for the following positions:
Assistant Case Manager
LA County’s Housing for Health contracts with community organizations to deliver Intensive Case Management Services (ICMS) to every client. Services are provided by on site staff such as Intensive Case Managers and Assistant Case Managers (ACMs). ACMs provide intensive case management services to clients classified as low acuity. These positions serve individuals and families residing in interim and permanent housing by supporting and providing services in the areas of assessment; care planning; coaching and social support; connections to direct services; care coordination and system navigation; education about the health and social service system; outreach and engagement, and capacity building for individuals who were experiencing homelessness and are now mostly housed.
Custodian
LA County Custodians maintain hospitals, health facilities, and buildings in a clean, and orderly condition by using proper sanitary methods.
Intermediate Clerk
Intermediate Clerks are at the front line to providing exceptional customer service and administrative support to staff and patients at County hospitals.
Laborer
Public Works Laborers do the manual labor needed to maintain roads, flood control infrastructure, bridges, and other important infrastructure. These jobs are technically “arduous,” but they are critical to keeping the County functioning – keeping homes and neighborhoods from flooding, keeping roads in good repair; this is the hidden work that makes living in Los Angeles possible for County residents.
Cultural Transformation Training Programs
Over the past eight years, WERC has engaged thousands of LA County workforce members in dynamic learning experiences aimed at transforming workplace culture. Training topics include promoting a culture of continuous improvement, creating a work environment that values individual learning and growth, and fostering a more collaborative labor-management dynamic. WERC has provided these dynamic Cultural Transformation Training programs for all three of LA County’s health departments (Department of Health, Department of Mental Health, Department of Public Health):
Labor Management Committee Program
The Labor Management Committee (LMC) Program is an ongoing training effort centering around the partnership between management and labor at DHS. The program consists of series of trainings and related coaching interventions that explore skills and best practices for effective committee work. Over a dozen LMC groups from throughout the department have engaged in the training program, which seeks to transform the way that these groups communicate and work together by completing project-based initiatives in a partnership mode.
PRIDE Project
The PRIDE project is a dynamic self-guided training focused on workplace respect. Initiated by the DHS PRIDE Labor-Management Task Force, the training aims to increase awareness about workplace bullying, the impacts of bullying behaviors, and how to respond appropriately to these behaviors. In addition, the training explores how all workforce members can proactively create a more respectful workplace.
Just Culture Training Program
WERC has developed and delivered ongoing trainings for the Los Angeles County Health Agency’s Just Culture Initiative. The Just Culture initiative seeks to establish a working culture in which safety is an individual and organizational priority, and where errors, near misses, and unintended outcomes are seen as opportunities for improvement. WERC has engaged hundreds of workforce members from throughout the Health Agency in Just Culture training sessions focused on the implementation and sustainment of this cultural transformation.